Ever since GameFi eagerly went into popularity, investors and gamers alike wondered when will the eventual mass adoption of Web3 games come to pass. However, an often overlooked factor to enable the mass adoption of GameFi are Game Platforms.
The Growth Of Blockchain Gaming
Blockchain gaming has grown significantly throughout the years. In just a year, Blockchain gaming users has increased by 2,000% from 2021, leaving NFT and DeFi markets in the dust by sheer users. However, despite its success so far, it’s no secret that the end goal of the GameFi space is the encapsulation of the entire gaming industry. In other words – mass adoption.
The game reportedly allowed users to earn as much, if not more, than what players from third-word countries earn from their living. This has even prompted certain users to quit from their day job in hopes of pursuing Axie Infinity full-time. The monetary incentives coupled with enjoyable game mechanics were a major factor in the increase of its users.
Web3 gaming arguably went mainstream, almost achieving its dream of mass adoption, during the Axie Infinity craze. The iconic play-to-earn game garnered nearly as many as 2 million daily active users in 2021, whose main player base was from Southeast Asian countries.
Aside from Axie, several other blockchain games also provided different enticing opportunities for gamers looking to earn such as virtual land ownership (The Sandbox, Decentraland) and pursuing fitness goals (StepN). But so far, despite all its efforts, the industry has not yet touched the hearts of all 3.24 billion gamers in the traditional gaming industry. Considering the popularity of Axie Infinity at the time, there was even popular speculation that the continued fame of the game would propel blockchain gaming to mass popularity.
However, the industry is overlooking the future contribution of Web3 gaming platforms to the industry. In the traditional industry, applications such as Steam and Epic games play a crucial role in providing the games to traditional gamers. The average gamer is 35 years old, likely busy with jobs and other matters. Gaming platforms makes it easier for gamers to search for new games and look back on old video games.
Currently, there are numerous blockchain games, with each having their own website, social medias, and communities. The current status quo for Web3 gamers is they have to individually search the blockchain or the website to know more about the game. As of now, it’s difficult for blockchain gamers to easily search games.
The Role Of Game Discovery Applications
Game discovery applications make it far easier for the layman to search up and determine which game they want to play. The moment Steam users open the application, they are immediately greeted with a plethora of games to choose from, optimized according to the user’s preference. It also includes Sales on upcoming hot games and alerts on the wish list of their friends. Web3 game applications can learn so much.
Just imagine, there are roughly 3 billion gamers in total. So far, only 3% of those are into crypto and blockchain. Blockchain gaming despite its popularity, still haven’t reach at least a fraction of the entire gaming population.
Through game discovery applications, gamers of both crypto and non-crypto will simply go to a one-stop-shop application to look for all their GameFi needs. This concept isn’t exactly revolutionary, since it already exists on non-crypto gaming. But, there are certain builders in the GameFi space looking to build their own versions of Steam.
Final Thoughts
If this keeps up, it might only be a matter of time before Blockchain gaming finally goes mainstream.
Edmond is a passionate writer for Video games, GameFi and Web3. He has worked for top GameFi companies and video game/crypto news websites.
